Divided Lineage
by Danie-Dono
Summary: If there was one thing Jane hated, it was a normal life—a completely tiring, boring, normal life. A turn events come into place and she finds herself working on the Normandy under her brother.
1. Chapter 1: One of Those Days

**Chapter 1-One of Those Days**

A/N: I want to give a special thanks to **jamiepage19** who has taken the time to brainstorm and revise this chapter and idea of a story.

I do not own Mass Effect. All rights belong to BioWare and EA Games.

* * *

oooooooooooooooooo

If there was one thing Jane hated, it was a normal life—a completely tiring, boring, normal life. It had been a year since she had settled into the Citadel, working in the Alliance hospital in Shalta Ward. She had signed up as an Alliance Navy nurse when she was eighteen, and soon made the decision to pursue being a Critical Care NP. Since being approved, she was transferred from Earth, where she did most of her studies, on the Citadel.

She sighed, moving through the crowded corridors toward the hospital entrance. People filled the halls, chatting loudly. She walked briskly; avoiding eye contact with anyone, hoping that no one would stop her in her pursuit. She had already worked a twelve-hour shift and she was exhausted and irritated. All she wanted to do was get to her small apartment and crawl into a nice hot shower. Maybe even watch a vid.

She stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the recycled air on the spaceport. She could already feel the tight muscles in her shoulders ease slowly the farther she went from the hospital. A thought suddenly occurred to her and her hand brushed against things inside of the small messenger bag on her shoulder. She frowned, stepping to side. Lifting the cover, she rummaged through the bag, muttering curses to herself. "Great. Just great. I forgot my key card."

She groaned, walking slowly towards the free transit. It truly had been one of those days. She pressed the keys on the pad lightly, grumbling at herself some more. It would take her another hour to get home at this rate. She would have to wait for her roommate, Chloe Michel to finish her work in her private clinic in the wards. Falling into the seat inside the transit, she clutched her bag, breathing in slowly as she closed her eyes. One downside to living on the Citadel was using the free transits. They were fast and jerky. By the time you had ridden in one less than five minutes, you would not want to eat again.

She attempted to think of better days. The first day she landed on the Citadel she was excited for something new. She thought it would be an adventure. Lucky for her, she had already arranged to be roommates with Dr. Chloe Michel. She had met the doctor through the woman's parents, who she had worked under during her time on Earth. She had immediately felt at home the moment she had stepped into the apartment. Both Chloe and her had gotten along well and already had a few things in common.

"Arriving at Upper Wards," a disembodied female voice announced, its tone sounding harsh as it blared over the transit's com systems.

Jane opened her eyes, slowly getting out of the tiny vehicle, exhaling out of her nose. She looked around her, carefully following the bright neon lights. She planned on not getting lost this time. She could hear the large crowd not far from the clinic shouting about Human Rights. The nurse frowned. The past year, more and more people were ready to see a human councilor seated with the rest of the galactic community. She had even heard bizarre rumors that there was a candidate for a human spectre on the table. Although she agreed that the human population should have more rights concerning galactic affairs, she didn't think her species should be in control of everything.

Jane pushed the doors interface before it slid open. She stepped inside, smelling the familiar smells of medigel and antiseptic. The clinic was brightly lit, a small empty counter greeting her on her arrival.

"Chole must have let her receptionist leave early," she thought out loud, walking into the small hallway.

She saw that the door to one of the small private rooms was shut, but she could hear soft murmurs coming from within. Jane shook her head. Chloe probably never heard her come in. She got out her omni-tool, tapping a brief message to her roommate and sent it, hoping that it wouldn't distract the young doctor from her patient. She re entered the lobby, sitting in one of the seats before opening her omni-tool again to read through her own messages.

A few messages were sitting in her inbox. Most of them were junk mail, but one in particular caught her attention. A small smile spread across her face as she opened the correspondence.

_Jane,_

_ Hope everything is going well on the Citadel. We just arrived on Eden Prime. The Normandy is doing great. It is flying smoothly. Wish you were here. Hope to see you soon._

_ R. Jenkins_

Her smile became brighter. She stored the message in her omni's drive and scanned through various other letters. Before she could reopen another when she heard the door slid open. Jane looked up from her messages at the clock. It was past hours for a patient to walk through. She got up from her seat, stepping toward the door.

"The doctor is unavailable at the moment. Is there something you—" Her eyes widened as she took in the turian holding an unconscious bloody human over his shoulder. She stifled a gasp, her mind processing the damage to the body. Burn marks covered the man's face along with several bullet wounds. "What—"

"Where is the doctor?" the turian demanded.

"She's unavailable—"

"Maybe you can't see that well, but this man needs medical attention, immediately!"

Jane shut her mouth, chiding herself. Of course the man needed help. She really needed to sleep.

_Focus Jane, _ she thought, pulling herself together mentally. If she didn't act fast, the man probably wouldn't make it through the night.

"This way," she ordered, rushing past the turian to the back of the facility. She instructed him to put the man on the table as she washed her hands and threw gloves on. Then she went through the drawers, pulling out a mask to cover her face in.

The machinery in the room was already at work, scanning the body carefully, giving detail reports on the man's health. She could now see that there were serious burn marks on the face and neck and three bullet wounds—on the shoulder, in the leg and in the abdomen. She began by examining the wound on the abdomen, cleaning it carefully before applying medigel. From the corner of her eye she could see the turian shuffling on his feet.

"So what happened?" Jane asked.

"We were on duty near Chora's Den…firefight. Eddie didn't see that he was behind a fire containment pod and before I knew it he was on fire. He started screaming and I tried to pat him down, but the flames were already devouring his clothing."

The nurse nodded, keeping her attention on the man below her. The man was young with a tanned skin and short blonde hair. Like the turian described, she could see the fabric of his shirt and pants were burned in some parts, revealing the fresh burn marks. "It wasn't your fault. But I don't understand how you can have weapons to begin with."

The turian flashed something at her that sparkled in the light. She recognized the insignia. "Oh right…so you and your partner are C-SEC."

"Yes, the name's Garrus Vakarian and my partner here is Officer Eddie Lang," he replied, shifting on his feet again.

"I didn't realize there were human C-SEC officers. I thought they were council species."

"Officer Lang had just started with us a month ago. Since there has been such a big bang about human involvement in Council space, the Executor allowed some Alliance and other police officers to join the C-SEC ranks as a test."

The abdomen wound was healing well with the medigel, so Jane moved to the shoulder wound. She probed the area with her fingers and let out a sigh; the bullet hadn't gone all the way through. She rummaged through the gear next to her, grabbing the small pliers.

"So I never seen you around. Are you a new doctor for this clinic?"

"No, just a friend of Dr. Michel's. I was here to see her. I normally wouldn't play 'Operation' on someone unless it was an emergency," she replied. Jane paused, her attention suddenly drawn to the shuffling sound in the lobby. She nodded to the door. "The doctor is out with her patient. Can you get her attention? I'm going to need her help."

Garrus nodded and stepped out of the room. The nurse didn't lift her head until she heard the doctor walk in briskly.

"Jane, you should have knocked on my door when they arrived. I would have come to help," Dr. Michel said in an exasperated voice.

She shrugged, moving away to give her friend room. "I didn't know what you were doing and it was an emergency. I wasn't going to just stand by and watch someone in pain."

Chloe sighed, dropping the topic as she worked carefully on the patient's face. "Just next time…tell me before you go super nurse on me, alright? You already had a long day; you didn't need to be getting yourself worked up on another patient when you're off duty."

It was another thirty minutes before the two stepped out of the room. Chloe only smiled when she heard the story about Jane's awful day, handing her the key card for the apartment. "Just don't lose it on the way there or we will both be stranded."

Jane laughed, smiling at her roommate. "I'll try not to. Be sure not to stay here all night, like you did last week."

She walked out, finding her bag on the seat she had left it on earlier. She slugged it over her shoulder, peering back at the doctor, who was talking to the officer about his partner's condition. The turian looked up, nodding his head towards her in thanks. Jane smiled, waving lightly before she walked out of the clinic, finally heading home.

* * *

oooooooooooooooooo

_She could smell smoke in the air as she ran through the fields. Her feet were throbbing as she padded through the crops barefooted. There was no time to put shoes on. There wasn't time to do anything but run._

_ She could feel the red liquid on her face and hands dry, caking heavily on her skin. She closed her eyes, trying to take deep breaths—something her physical education teacher had nagged at her to do while running. No—she didn't want to remember._

_ She didn't want to remember the smell of smoke or the way the fire made the small colony unbearably hot. She especially didn't want to remember the blood on her face and hands, her mother's small smile as her eyes dimmed._

_ "Shhhh…little one. Everything is going to be okay."_

_ Hot tears streamed down her face, pushing herself to keep up. She didn't want to remember._

Jane shot up, her eyes scanning the room. She couldn't smell smoke, feel the heat of the fire or see the blood on her hands. She exhaled the breath she held.

"A dream," she whispered, clasping her shaking hands together. "Only a dream."

She rose from the couch, her eyebrows furrowing. She never made it to her bedroom last night. "I guess I fell asleep through the vid," she thought out loud, rubbing her sore neck, looking at the clock. It was already morning. She never even heard Chloe come in.

Jane walked into the hallway, her feet lightly padding on the wooden floors. She opened her roommate's door and peered inside. The bed was neatly made, the room dark and empty. She frowned. Chloe never left her clinic.

She had just left Chloe's room and headed for the kitchen when the front door opened, revealing a very haggard looking woman. Chloe laid her briefcase on the small table near the door and dragged herself to the couch.

"Ugh, what a night," she started, slowly taking her shoes off. "I thought I was never going to get out of there."

Jane pursed her lips, brushing her red locks from her face. "What happened last night?"

The French woman sat there silently for a short moment before she tilted her head towards her friend. "I cleaned up the gentleman you started on before I contacted Huerta Hospital to take him. I was starting to head home when out of nowhere a woman came by wounded. I couldn't just leave her like that so I took her in, bandaged her up and gave her antibiotics. It took much of the night to get the fever she had down."

Jane nodded. It was typical for Chloe to help any stranger out. Jane couldn't help but admire the woman for her big heart. She only wished her friend wouldn't wear herself down so much.

She pushed herself from the wall, moving to sit next to the doctor, and smiled softly. "Perhaps you should take the day off. I'm not working today. After you've gotten some rest, maybe we can go out and have some drinks."

The corners of Chloe's mouth lifted slightly, patting Jane's hand. Jane looked down, only for her to gasp. She grabbed her wrist, examining the petite woman's hand. "Chloe, where did this rash come from?"

The doctor chuckled, pulling her hand away. "It's nothing Jane. The woman I worked on was Quarian. I had a reaction to the dextro materials I had to use. Some of it got on my skin when I was working. It will go away in a few hours. Don't worry," she explained, lifting herself off the couch. She yawned and stretched her stiff muscles. "I'm going to get some rest. It was a very long night."

The red head scratched her head lightly. "Yeah, good idea. You wouldn't want me to find something else to worry about."

Chloe only laughed, moving away into her bedroom. Jane waited until she heard the door close and then she rested her head against the couch. Perhaps the day would only get better from here.

"Upper Wards Medical Clinic, this is Jane, how may I help you," Jane answered the terminal, tapping her pencil impatiently on the desk. Chloe had called her earlier that morning to help in the clinic since her receptionist was sick at home. Jane had agreed, both ecstatic for finding something to do on her day off and also kicking herself for taking a day of peace and quiet away from her. She shoved the thoughts away, throwing out dates for the patient to be able to come in. "How about next week?"

Her thoughts had been elsewhere for a few days. She normally would have heard from Jenkins by now. It had been a while since she had received the message about Eden Prime. Why hadn't he responded?

* * *

oooooooooooooooooo

"Upper Wards Medical Clinic, this is Jane, how may I help you," Jane answered the communicator.

The redhead had been excited about finally going on her first date with the Lieutenant. They had known each other for a few years, since she met him on Earth. He had flirted shamelessly with her, getting her full attention. She allowed him to have her omni-tool's address and soon they were messaging each other whenever possible. Since he had been stationed onto the Normandy though, the message feeds had become slower and shorter. Extranet connections were only so good when traveling through the Mass Relays.

The silence on the other end of the terminal brought her back to the task at hand. "Hello?"

The sound of a click caused her to frown. Switching the terminal off, she rubbed her temples slowly and closed her eyes to the blinding lights of the clinic. She was still exhausted from the long hours at the Alliance Hospital and the restless nights she had spent tossing and turning, seeing the ghosts of her past.

She lifted her head when she heard the front doors swish open. She forced the smile on her lips, lifting herself from the desk. Five men filtered in. "Welcome to the Upper Wards Clinic. Do any of you have an appointment today?"

The group said nothing. One man broke away from the rest and approached the desk, idly running his hand across the top of her terminal. His wide, menacing smile made Jane's heart pump in her chest. Her right hand dropped to her side and slowly crept underneath the desk, where a panic button was hidden. One of the other men caught her movement. He reached for his pistol, yanked it out of his holster, and before she knew what was happening, fired his weapon.

Jane screamed as the bullet tore through the soft flesh of her upper arm. She fell to the ground heavily, the pain unbearable. A black booted foot moved closer to her. She inhaled a shaky breath and listened as the intruder reloaded his weapon.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. Where is the doctor?"

Jane remained stubbornly silent. The man frowned and casually pressed her injured arm with the tip of his boot.

"The doctor isn't here!" she cried. Pain, searing hot and blinding, coursed down her arm. "She's on a lunch break."

In all reality, Jane really hoped that Chloe had heard the commotion and had locked herself in one of the labs at the far end of the hallway. From her position on the floor she could see the button underneath the table blinking and was relieved to see that she had at least accomplished that. Perhaps help would come before they killed her.

The leader turned back to the group and flicked his head in the direction of the long hallway. His men nodded in acknowledgement.

"For your sake, you'd better hope we find her," he threatened before pivoting on his heel to follow the rest of them out of the reception area.

Jane released a shuddering breath and let her head fall to back to the ground, listening quietly to the sounds of doors being slammed and furniture being moved as they rummaged around the rooms in search of her friend.

A few moments later the nurse heard shouting not far from her position and she lifted her head turning off the floor just in time to see them push the doctor into the room. Chloe's eyes meet hers, her pale green orbs shrouded in panic.

"Jane!"

"Quiet down, doc!" the leader barked. He seized her arm and pulled her against his chest, threading one arm around her neck in a strangling grip and placed the cold barrel of his gun against her temple. "I wouldn't want to hurt your friend now because you couldn't keep you mouth shut."

"You can take anything you want. Just please…don't—"

"Who did you tell about the quarian?"

Jane's eyes narrowed as she watched the exchange. So this was about someone Chloe knew. She drew in another deep breath, trying to keep calm. She didn't want her biotics to flare up, causing more problems when her friend was being held with a gun pointed at her. She looked around her, trying to avoid gaining the man's attention above her.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!"

"That was smart doc. Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or—" He stopped, his sentence abruptly cut short as his attention was drawn to the front of the room.

Jane exhaled, closing her eyes. Maybe C-SEC had come after all.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Let her go!"

Jane thought the voice sounded oddly familiar, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. The distraction had provided her the perfect opportunity to move. Keeping a wary eye on her assailants, she rose up on her hands and dragged herself behind the desk for better cover. Suddenly she heard the gunfire and her friend screamed. She whipped around just in time to see Dr. Michel fall to the ground, unharmed as more gunfire was issued.

"Chloe," Jane shouted, waving her friend over to her. The doctor crawled to her, her eyes focusing on the blood-stained spot on her upper arm, full of concern. "Don't worry, its nothing to worry about."

"Jane, you were just shot. Of course it is something to be concerned about!"

"You can mother me once we're safe. Now come here!" Jane ordered, grabbing the woman to sit next to her. She closed her eyes, feeling the familiar heat at the back of her neck as her barriers came up, enveloping her and Chloe.

The gunfire ceased soon after, and once the chaos had died down she lifted her gaze upward, startled to see the turian C-Sec Officer from the other night standing with three armored Alliance soldiers.

"Perfect timing, Shepard," Garrus said. "Gave me a clear shot at that bastard."

Jane released the barrier, the pain in her arm flaring up. "Perfect shot? What were you thinking? You could have hit Chloe!" she snapped, hissing at the end of the sentence as she grabbed her upper arm.

"Jane?"

She wasn't surprised when the man lifted the helmet off of his head. _Of course you would show up now_, she thought bitterly. She slowly got to her feet and leaned against the counter. "I'm fine, John."

"Commander, you know her?"

John turned, acknowledging the woman in the pink and white medium armor. "Yeah, this is Lieutenant Jane Shepard of the Alliance Navy Nursing Corps. She's my sister."


	2. Chapter 2: Unhappy Reunions

Chapter 2-Unhappy Reunion

_One by one they died._

_A massacre that took all night_

_They had no chance, it was no fight_

_You can't kill what has been killed before,_

_They died…_

-Within Temptation "Gatekeeper"

A/N: Thank you to **Shootingstar7123**, **GC42**, and **Guest** for reading and writing a review. You all were so sweet and lifted my spirit. Also, thank you **lori 0108**, **LedinToke**, **Stupified-424535**, **Thundabuns**, **Renting**, **Quest15**, **SpartanEra**, and **SolusWarrior93** for favorite/following this story. And most importantly, I want to thank **jamiepage19** who has been helping brainstorm and edit this story. I couldn't do this without you (well I guess I could...just not as stylishly).

I do not own Mass Effect. All rights belong to BioWare and EA Games.

* * *

"_Momma, you have to wake up. Please!"_

_Jane sat next to her mother, her face covered in dust and grime. Tears coursed down her cheeks, leaving wet streaks that were quickly turning the dirt into mud. She gently brushed the red strands away from her mother's pale forehead and straightened the woman's shirt. The batarian slavers lay lifeless not far from her, their green blood seeping into the kitchen wooden floor._

_Suddenly she heard the shuffling of feet, alerting her of another intruder. She grabbed for her father's pistol next to her, aiming it at the door. "Whoever you are, stay put!"_

"_Jane!"_

_Jane gasped, lowering the weapon slightly. The smoke was making her eyes tear up more, blurring her vision. "John?"_

_The figure of her brother moved into the room, pulling her into his arms. The pistol fell to the ground as she clung to him. She choked and sobbed into her brother's shoulder, mumbling._

"_Shhhhh….it's okay, Janey. You're safe now. I'm here. I'm here," John whispered, rocking her back and forth, smoothing down her messy hair._

"_Where's Dad," she whimpered. "Daddy would know what to do."_

_Her brother tensed, clinging to her tighter. "Dad didn't make it Jane. The Batarians shot him in the fields."_

_Jane lifted her head, pulling from his warm embrace. "John, we have to get Momma out of here! I tried to wake her up, but she won't."_

_John looked over, Jane following his gaze as his face dropped. She turned her gaze back to her mother. She was paler than normal, her lips slightly open. Her mother's leg was still bleeding, causing her to remember to apply pressure to the leg. She had remembered that from health class._

_John shook his head. "We can't help Momma anymore, Jane. We have to move now!"_

"_No! I'm not leaving her!"_

"_Jane," John said, his voice lowering. "I don't think she will be waking up. We have to go to the Alliance Base and get help. If there is time, we might be able to get someone to help her after we contact the Alliance."_

"_But Momma-"_

_John pulled at her arm, lifting her from her crouch. Jane cringed, pulling her arm away from her brother. She glared at him as he grabbed for her other hand, dragging her away from the house._

"_We'll come back for her, Jane."_

_They moved out of the house, passing into the fields to keep themselves away from the slavers. As they moved farther away, Jane looked back, her gaze resting on the little white farmhouse with green shutters. She could see now the smoke hovering over the house, flames growing larger. She saw that she had left her bedroom light on. Tears welled up in her eyes as the thought finally occurred to her that this would be the last time she would see her home. She would never feel safe again._

* * *

"Jane, you have to hold still. I can't examine your arm if you keep moving," Chloe chastised as she grabbed for her materials with her left arm while keeping a strong hold of Jane's arm with her right.

Jane rolled her eyes, trying to keep tabs on the four others in the room. The turian was busy analyzing and taking pictures of the scene. The two Alliance soldiers stood off to one side, huddled close together as her brother used his omni-tool to relay the details of what happened before they arrived. She could make out the blurred image of a C-SEC uniform on the orange screen.

"Dr. Michel, are you hurt," the turian, Garrus, questioned, stepping forward in front of the two women.

Chloe smiled lightly at the C-SEC officer, a blush on her cheeks. "No, I'm okay. Thanks to you...all of you," she stated. "Jane should be fine in a few minutes, once the medigel starts working."

"Chloe, I was fine before you played doctor on me. It was only a scratch. The bullet only grazed me," Jane protested.

Garrus shifted slightly, his face unreadable. "Sorry about that...I wasn't close enough for the shot yet. I meant to take down the shooter before he got you."

The nurse winced in her seat, cursing silently, feeling the prick of the needle. She grimaced, grabbing the edge of the table she sat on tightly. "Well aren't you just the trooper...waiting to take the shot until the intruder has a hostage," muttered Jane, gritting her teeth.

The turian's face remained expressionless, shaking his head. "There wasn't time to think. I just reacted."

She saw that her brother had drifted closer to them, no longer talking on his omni-tool. "I know those men threatened you, but if you can tell us who they work for, we can protect you."

Chloe glanced at her warily. Jane tried to give a reassuring smile.

"Its okay Chloe, you can trust Commander Shepard."

Chloe nodded. She clasped her hands together, trying to break from her nervous habit. "They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up."

"They kept asking about a Quarian," Jane added, rubbing her injured arm. She would have to ask for some pain medicine after her brother left.

The Commander's eyebrows lowered. "What Quarian?"

"A few days ago, a Quarian came by my office," the doctor began. "She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide."

Jane bit her lip as she recalled Chloe coming in with the allergic reaction to helping the Quarian. Now she finally realized the risk her friend had put herself through. She reached over, squeezing her roommate's upper arm. Chloe glanced behind herself, smiling at the red head.

"Where is she now?"

"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker," the doctor commented.

It amazed her just how many people on the Citadel were agents of the Shadow Broker, a mysterious character that had blackmail on every single Council member. The thought of people watching her to benefit herself unnerved her and sent shivers running down the length of Jane's spine.

"Not anymore," Garrus declared. "Now he works for Saren. The Shadow Broker isn't too happy about that."

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker," Chloe seemed taken aback "That's stupid, even for him!"

"Saren must have made him quite the offer," Jane muttered. " At least I wouldn't cross such a powerful person without knowing I would be protected first."

John nodded in agreement. "She must have something that proves that he's a traitor," he thought out loud, his armored hand scratching his head. "Did the Quarian mention anything about Saren or the geth?"

"She did. The information she was going to trade mentioned something about the geth," Dr. Michael confirmed.

Garrus stood up straighter. "She must be able to link Saren to the geth. There is no way the Council can ignore this!"

John grinned, turning his attention to the two Alliance personnel. "Time we paid Fist a visit."

Garrus stepped forward, gaining the Commander's attention. "This is your show Shepard, but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do."

John looked pensive, as if he was weighing the pros with the cons. Finally he raised his hand to the turian. The C-SEC officer raised his three fingered hand up, grabbing the military man's hand. "Welcome aboard, Garrus."

"Before I came here, I heard there was a krogan that had a connection to Fist. I think it might be wise to see what he knows. He may know more about the Quarian," Garrus added.

Jane frowned. "Can you really trust a krogan?"

John shrugged. "It doesn't really matter-you're not coming," he said, pointing at one of his soldiers. "Kaidan, I would like you to escort Dr. Michel and Lieutenant Shepard back to their apartment. Don't leave them until I say so."

Kaidan saluted rigidly. "Aye, Commander."

"I don't need to help going to my apartment."

The slight twitch of her brother's eyebrow was the only sign of his irritation as his ice blue eyes slowly met her emerald green ones. "It is not the time to be stubborn Jane. Someone just threaten yours and Dr. Michel's lives. I would feel better if Lieutenant Alenko would took you home and secured the area. These people could know where you live and more men could come back."

"I could have C-SEC officers patrol around your apartment," Garrus replied pulling at the blue collar of his armor.

Jane glared at the turian. "I said I don't need to be protected And besides, why would I trust someone that just shot at my friend? Don't you know the procedures with hostages are to not shot near them? What if that man had just moved a centimeter, you could have killed Dr. Michel."

"Jane stop it," Chloe chastised. "Officer Vakarian and Commander Shepard just saved us from a grievous fate. Your brother is right—these men could know where we live. I think it wouldn't hurt to be escorted home and to have some extra patrol."

Jane chewed on her lip sullenly and lowered her gaze to the ground. She felt the slight tug on her arm before Chloe snipped the remainder of the silk string. A puff of air escaped her lips when she heard the doctor began to put her tools away.

"Dr. Michel, do you mind giving me a moment with Jane?" John Shepard requested. "I believe Officer Vakarian had a few more questions he wanted to ask you about the intruders."

She didn't bother looking as her roommate stepped away, answering the turian's questions. Jane kicked the table lightly, lifting her eyes to look at her brother through eyelashes. John stood over her, scratching lightly at the stubble on his cheeks. She was astounded how comfortable he looked standing there in combat armor, focused on her.

"You okay?"

"I've been better, but it could have been worse," Jane winced resting her injured arm on her knee. "I didn't expect you to show up."

"I wasn't expecting you to be here, either," John divulged, moving to lean against the table next to her. He went silent for a moment, his face expressionless. "I was looking for Garrus and I got a tip that he would be here. I didn't think I would show up to a fire fight with my sister injured and in danger."

"I had it under control-"

"Bullshit," he interrupted, glaring at her. "This isn't the time for this Jane. You're lucky you only had a graze wound. You could have been seriously hurt or dead."

"I—" Jane stammered, before taking a slow deep breath. She lowered her voice. "I understand you're upset John, but I wasn't expecting to help Chloe today and get shot. This occurrence startled me just as much as it did you."

She saw the John slowly unwind, leaning more against the table. "I thought you worked at the Alliance hospital," he voiced quietly after a long pause.

"I do," confirmed the nurse. "I had the day off and Chloe needed help here. I volunteered."

The Commander gave her a sidelong glance. "You volunteered to work on your day off? Now you're beginning to sound like my Janey."

Jane smiled, pushing the man lightly on the shoulder with her good arm. She lowered herself to the floor with a small drop, grabbing her bag from behind the counter. She glanced into the hallway, seeing Chloe still talking quietly with the C-SEC officer. Sighing, she settled into a chair, trying to think of anything but the present.

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

She looked at the clock and glowered at the machine. 21:15. Chloe had retired earlier to rest. Jane had felt apathy for her close friend. Both of them had had a hard day—being hostages, threatened and questioned relentlessly, had been disquieting. She leaned against the armrest, spotting familiar C-SEC uniforms from the window. In her peripheral, she could see the Alliance soldier that had brought them home sitting quietly, tapping at his omni-tool.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

She glared at the soldier, trying to find a comfortable place to sit. She looked at the celining, the walls, the carpet, anywhere but him. She tried to think of something, anything to block out the sound.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"God, I feel like I'm under house arrest!" she cried, banging her head against the soft couch cushions.

Kaiden looked over at her, a small smile passing on his lips. "You know, I didn't realize Shepard's sister would be so impatient."

She dropped her hand against the couch, inhaling slowly. "Well, siblings aren't always alike," she muttered. "Besides, we haven't lived with each other for eleven years."

The Lieutenant chuckled softly. "I wasn't thinking you would be identical, just similar," he responded.

Peering at him, she could see that the Lieutenant was slim and had light tan with dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. Jane couldn't help but appreciate his looks. Of course, she had to remind herself that she was seeing someone at the moment. She pushed her back off the couch, leaning on a elbow.

"So what brings the Normandy back to the Citadel? I thought you had orders."

If she hadn't been watching him carefully, she would have missed how his eyebrows lowered and his mouth twitched. Being a military nurse, she was familiar with the soldier's facial expressions. Her stomach twisted involuntarily.

"Nothing against you ma'am, but the mission was strictly on a need to know basis. All I can say is that we found something that needed the Council's attention," he answered after a long pause.

Jane nodded slowly, scratching at her nose. "I see...a lot of what my brother does seems to be confidential."

The nurse looked fixedly on Kaidan, an uncomfortable silence settling in. She nervously chewed at her lip, trying to think of another conversation starter wasn't as solemn. She looked back at the clock, deciding now would be as good a time as any to ask about Jenkins. She was curious why he hadn't contacted her yet. Days had gone by since he had last sent the message describing Eden Prime. "Surely you can tell me when the Normandy was docked, right? I have a friend on there that I haven't heard from in a while. I was seeing when he would be allowed to have shore leave."

"The Normandy docked early this morning. We've been strictly on business restocking supplies, system checks, and briefings."

Sighing, she shook her head. It seemed she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted. Standing, she pointed at the kitchen. "I'm going to get myself a drink. Want anything? We have water, some power shakes, I can make some coffee or tea if you like," she listed off.

Her lips lowered unerringly when Alenko declined, her feet patting on the stone floors. She hummed softly she remembered her mothering singing to her long ago, pouring water into the kettle and turning on the stove top. Absently she opened the refrigerator, combing through the food. It had been a few hours since she had eaten anything.

"I didn't imagine the Citadel being so...big."

Jane blinked, glancing behind her. Kaidan had moved from the living area to the kitchen, sitting on one of the bar stools at the counter. Jane grinned, leaning against the counter.

"I didn't either when I came here a year ago. I still have trouble navigating," she confessed a smile spreading across her face.

Kaidan nodded. "Well, if you see tall white towers and statues, it is probably safe to guess you are on the Presidium," he jabbed. "There is definitely a gap between their presentation and what's here. Tracking rivals must be a nightmare."

"Well, it didn't take you too long to find me in trouble today...so, it can't that bad," Jane commented, pulling the kettle off the stove and pouring the hot water into a cup.

"Ever had any conflicts here? I can't imagine its easy living here on the Citadel."

She was scavenging the cabinets, trying to remember where her roommate put the dried tea leaves. Her smile brightened when she found the familiar teabags. She pulled one out and threw it into the cup.

"I won't lie, it can be a challenge sometimes," Jane confessed. "I don't see too many aliens though, since I work on the Alliance base in Shalta Ward, but there has been some slander towards me. I think we bring it towards ourselves with the stresses we are putting on the Council and these Human's First organizations."

"It must be hard trying to keep all these cultures working together."

"I'm happy I don't have their job," the nurse muttered. "But all these cultures in one place, it is fascinating. I only hope that someday, we and the other Council races will be able to appreciate each other's strengths and learn from each other. Just as they have many things they could teach us, we have our strengths as well. Have you ever seen a turian try to give stitches like Chloe did on me today? It just doesn't work."

"When you put it that way, there is no way they wouldn't like you," Kaidan muttered before stammering. "I mean us...humans."

A blush crept up into her face, lowering her gaze to the countertops. She settled for grabbing the tea bag from cup, dumping it into the trash. She held the mug carefully in between her hands.

"You said you knew someone on the Normandy?"

She grinned, leaning into her hip. "I know a few people on board. Joker is a pain in the ass. Back on Earth I often had to do medical check-ups on him. He would avoid me like the plague if he couldn't find something to tease me about," she explained. "I'm curious about Corporal Jenkins. We've gotten pretty close. I haven't heard from him in a few days. I would normally get a message by now."

Kaidan's eyes left hers to stare down at the countertops, his shoulders tense. Again, she felt her stomach churn. She was beginning to wonder what really happened at Eden Prime. She leaned over the countertop, touching the soldier's hand.

He looked back up at her, and all hope she had felt earlier shattered. She knew that look from many experiences in her life. She saw that look on her brother's face years ago when he told her that they had to leave their home. She had seen that look on the Marines on Elysium when she first started as an Alliance nurse. The sorrow in his eyes was more than enough for her to put the puzzle pieces together. She took a deep breath, hating herself at how her breath caught in her throat. Her vision was beginning to blur as she fought the tears away.

"Oh, I see," she whispered. She pushed herself upright. She took the mug, dumping the full cup into the sink. She took another breath, wrapping her arms around herself. "Lieutenant Alenko, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go rest now. The day has finally caught up to me. You can stay here until my brother releases you from duty."

Without another word she brushed past him, rushing into her bedroom as the tears began to fall. Her chest burned as she gasped for air, trying in vain to keep herself together. She closed the door behind her, sinking slowly to the carpeted ground.

She felt like a fool. All this time she had thought he was fine. Communications weren't working. She had even begun to think that maybe he was upset about something she said. She didn't think this would be the answer. Jane felt hopeless. She could remember her mother's voice singing softly to her in the dimly lit room. She could remember her father's callused hand wrapped around hers. She could remember Jenkin's bright smile.

_And now that is all he is...a memory. Just like mom and dad_, she thought bitterly. She curled herself into a ball, crying to herself until she fell asleep.


End file.
